Edward corson



(No Model.)

'E. GORSON 0. 0. CRANE.

SLACK ADJUSTER FOR OAR BRAKES.

'No. 360,400. Patented Mar. 29, 1887.

r C nun E IIIIIH N, PETERS. Plwm-Lilhoghpher, Wnhinglurh D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT -OFFICE.

EDWARD CORSON, or BROOKLYN, AND ORIGEN o. on-AND, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SLACK-ADJUSTER FOR CAR-BRAKES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 360.400, dated March 29, 1887.

Application filed November 8,1886. Serial No. 218.282. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWARD CORSON, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, and ORIGEN O. CRANE, of the city and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Slack Adjusters for Car- Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

In car-brakes the shoes or brake blocks that rest upon the wheels are exposed to considerable wear, especially in elevated railways, Wherethe trains are frequently stopped. The consequence is that the tie-rod connecting the brake beam and lever being too'long fails to act in clamping the wheels by the brakeshoes. Y

Our improvements are made for shortening the brake-rod from time to time as the brakeshocs wear away, and consist of the combination of devices hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings, Figure l is an elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan view, of ourimprovements; and Fig. 3 is a diagram representing the relative arrangement of the parts in a car-brake, so as to illustrate where our improvements can be applied.

The brake shoes Aarc united in pairs by the brake-beams B.

0 represents the brake lever, pivot-ed at 2 upon one of the brakebeams; and D is the brake-rod that unites the lower end of brakelever with the distant brakebeam, and we find that it is most convenient to apply our presentimprovements to the joint between the brakelever and this brake -rod. This brake-rod D is forked at the end, so that the lower end of the brake-lever 0 passes in between the forks 3, and the forks are slotted at 4 for the passage of the pivotbolt 6, that goes also through the eye ofthe brake lever 0. Upon the top and bottom faces of the forks 3 are teeth 5, and these teeth receive the teeth of the clam ping-blocks 'E, that are placed one at the top and the other below the forks, and these clampingblocks have upon their inner surfaces guiding-blocks that pass into the slots 4 between the forks, and we make use of the bolt 7 to tie the clamping-blocks E together.

\Ve make the parts automatic in their action, so that the shortening of the brakerod will take place whenever there is sufficient looseness for one tooth at a time to be taken up. To effect this object,we make the bolts 7 sufficiently long to receive around them the helical springs 9, that will yield to allow the clamping-blocks E to separate as the same slide upon the inclined teeth 5.

The brake-lever G passes through mortises in the blocks E, and the pivot-bolt 6 passes across the lower clampingblock. This devicewill be automatic, because when the lever 0 swings sufficiently far in one direction to strike against the upper block E at one end of the mortise it moves the said clamping-block and causes it to take up one tooth, and when said lever O strikes against the upper clamp ing-block at the other end of the mortise said upper clamping-block cannot move, on ac count of the direction in which the teeth are inclined; but said upper clamping-block becomes a fulcrum, and the lever 0 slides the lower clamping-block along, causing it to take brake-rod hai ing a forked end and teeth on the top and bottom edges thereof, clamping blocks above and below the fork engaging said teeth, and mortises for the lever to pass through, a pivot connecting the lever to the lower clamping-block, and bolts passing vertically through the elampingblock and be tween the fork and springs around the bolts, substantially as set forth.

Signed by us this 4th day of November, A: D. 1886.

EDYVARD CORSON. ORIGEN O. CRANE.

\Vitnesses:

GEQT. PINCKNEY, \VILLIAM G. Mom. 

